Jake Paul admits Anthony Joshua fight 'scares him'

In one of the most dramatic opponent changes in combat sports history, influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul went from being scheduled to face former lightweight and super featherweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis in an exhibition bout to taking on former two-time heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua in a sanctioned fight. 

It's a major step up in competition for the 28 year-old Ohio native. It's a dangerous matchup for Paul. 25 of Joshua's 28 wins have been by knockout. While, on one hand, Paul is confident, on the other the fight 'scares' him. 

"This is something that's woken me up. This fight scares me. It plays in my mind at night. It's hard to sleep," Paul said on his YouTube channel. "I had two options: run away or say, you will not stop me. I'm going to prove the world wrong."

"This is going to be the biggest upset in the sport of boxing," claimed Paul.

Paul has taken his preparation for the Dec. 19 matchup seriously, but it's been a difficult journey. Adjustments had to be made with the opponent change and sparring partners were flown in.

"This camp has been very difficult, very taxing on the body. But I'm here to challenge myself and to see what I'm capable of and prepare myself for the toughest battle yet," he said.

"It's been tough. It's been a lot of learning. I'm sore everywhere. I'm getting used to taking the big punches to the arms, to the face, to the body. I'm having to fight in a different way than I've had to fight before."

"It's by far the most challenging and craziest fight I've done to date," continued Paul. "And I will win."

"There's going to be fear especially when you're the underdog. All the things are stacked against you. You have to be able to persevere. I'm going to do the impossible. He's going to have to kill me to stop me, and I'm ready to die."